Verlander was done for ALCS

ARLINGTON, Texas -- If a seventh game had been needed to decide the ALCS, Justin Verlander wouldn't have pitched in it. As was the case in the ALDS against the Yankees, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said before ALCS Game 6 that his ace wouldn't be available.

To some criticism during the ALDS, Leyland said there was no chance he'd use Verlander in the deciding Game 5 after he threw 120 pitches in Game 3. Verlander threw a career-high 133 pitches in ALCS Game 5, and Leyland took the same stance Saturday.

"If you see Verlander pitch again this year, it will be a good thing because we'll be in the World Series," Leyland said. "I hope that answers your question. He will not pitch [again] in this series. He's done."

As it turned out, so are the Tigers.

Walking wounded

Each team faced its share of injuries in this series, and all of those players were in the lineup for Game 6. Alex Avila (knee), Victor Martinez (rib-cage muscle) and Delmon Young (oblique) started for the Tigers and Adrian Beltre (knee) and Josh Hamilton (groin) started for Texas.

Since the start of the series, Leyland talked about the teams' ability to play through pain. "Believe me, these guys are tough," he said. "I know we don't get hit like they do in football, but we don't get a week to rest, either. We usually play the next night. Pretty tough sport."

Extra bases

Taking into account the ALCS and NLCS, the team with a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6 now has won the series 22 of 31 times . . . John Wetteland, the Yankees' closer in 1995 and 1996 who went on to save 150 games for the Rangers from 1997-2000, threw out Saturday night's ceremonial first pitch.